Read part three of Kris Needs Fifty Outiders list for Clash magazine’s Outsider issue with appearances by George Clinton, Can, Suicide, Patti Smith and more.
21. TIM ROSE
Drunken bad boy of the Greenwich Village folk scene, known for the version of ‘Hey Joe’ which blueprinted Hendrix’s first hit. During 1967’s summer of love, the alcoholic Rose roared murder ballads and desperate love laments, taking folk to new levels of intensity, but blowing his career with drunken behaviour and patchy albums until resurrected by Nick Cave in the ’90s.
22. GEORGE CLINTON
George Clinton and his Parliafunkadelicment marauders drew inspiration from acid and Hendrix to bring previously-unseen levels of anarchy and freedom to black music. One of the most influential funk soul brothers of all time, but still on the periphery with his wild funk dog behaviour.
23. ‘WILD MAN’ FISCHER
LA-born Larry was institutionalised at sixteen after attacking his mother with a knife; diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and bipolar, but deemed sufficiently ‘entertaining‘ by Frank Zappa to release his nursery rhyme rantings on his Bizarre label.
24. MOTT THE HOOPLE
With gigs packed and rowdy, Mott were painted as disruptive outsiders by press and prog fans. After leaving Mott in 1974, Ian Hunter embarked on the uncompromising solo career he still pursues today, releasing a soaring anthem called ‘The Outsider’ in 1978.
25. CAN
Fired up by Hendrix and the Velvets, classically-trained Irmin Schmidt formed Can in 1968 with fellow former Stockhausen student Holger Czukay, free jazz drummer Jaki Leibezeit, avant guitarist Michael Karoli and New York singer Malcolm Mooney. Too far out for the mainstream but inestimably-influential on anyone from PiL to Primal Scream.
26. THE STOOGES
With Iggy taking onstage self-immolation to its most extreme levels, The Stooges’ nihilistic, wired and ravaged influence was felt by a crucial few, then massively a few years later.
27. SUICIDE
Suicide remain the most confrontational outfit of all time, Alan Vega and Martin Rev channelling their incendiary onstage rampage, electronic battle rhythms and doowop swoon into room-clearing live assaults and epoch-making albums.
28. NEW YORK DOLLS
New York’s proto-punks spent much of their supernova-brief first phase facing mockery, (self-imposed) obstacles and tragedy. Sylvain Sylvain: “We were young and screaming our generation’s next move.”
29. JAYNE COUNTY
In the Seventies New York underground, Wayne County took risks, broke taboos and amplified Warhol’s freak fantasies, then challenged 1977 punks by displaying real outrage, seeing it through to become Jayne in the Eighties.
30. PATTI SMITH
High poetess of punk, Patti’s insatiable passion for rock ‘n’ roll’s pure spirit and opiated romantic lyricism carried her through the CBGB’s punk explosion and beyond. An unstoppable torrent who, even at the height of her fame, would rather homage her rebel heroes than play the game.
